"Stronger Together" – Tbilisi celebrates Europe Day!

05/05/2019 - 19:25

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On Sunday, 5 May, over 15,000 people came together in Tbilisi to celebrate Europe Day, highlighting the strong relations between the European Union and Georgia.

On the occasion of Europe Day, the European Union together with Tbilisi City Hall hosted a public celebration in Tbilisi's Rike Park. Twenty Member States of the European Union presenting their countries and showcasing their cultures to visitors, and Tbilisians and their children were invited to participate in unique games and informative activities. Music, dances and songs were brought to a daytime stage from all over Europe, while young and old were competing in a streetball competition and sampling food from different European countries.

The event was officially opened by Salome Zourabichvili, President of Georgia, MamukaBakhtadze, Prime Minister of Georgia, Kakha Kaladze, Mayor of Tbilisi and the Ambassador of the European Union, Carl Hartzell.

During his opening speech, Ambassador Hartzell remarked, "On Europe Day, we celebrate the fact that an idea planted 69 years ago has come to unite over 500 million citizens from 28 diverse countries with 24 official languages into one European Union, working towards peace and prosperity for its citizens. It is also an opportunity for us to highlight the close relations between the EU and Georgia, which have never been stronger than they are today. We look forward to continuing and further developing our cooperation in the years to come.“

In the evening many inhabitants and guests of Tbilisi danced to the lively performances of 33a and Nicole DJ Set. Europe Day was closed with fireworks over the Peace Bridge, lit up in the colours of the European flag.

Background Information

Europe Day is celebrated each year on 9th May, to commemorate the1950 Declaration of Robert Schuman, the French foreign minister at the time. He set out his idea for a new form of political cooperation in Europe, which would make war between Europe's nations unthinkable by asking them to share their coal and steel reserves. This idea was the beginning of what is now the European Union, which today unites 28 countries and 508 million citizens for over 60 years of peace and prosperity.

This year's Europe Day is held under the motto "Stronger Together" to highlight the strong relations between Georgia and the European Union. 2019 is a double anniversary, marking 10 years of the Eastern Partnership and 5 years since the signature of the EU-Georgia Association Agreement.

For more information please visit the event page of Europe Day 2019 on Facebook.